Composition for treatment and prevention of lice

ABSTRACT

A composition and method for treating lice and removing nits from human hair, the composition including an alcohol; an inorganic salt in an amount less than 10 wt %; one or more essential oils and/or plant essences; and purified water. The composition may optionally include a surfactant to reduce separation of the ingredients of the composition and increase the appearance of homogeneity within the composition. The method may include applying the composition to human hair and the scalp and combing the hair to remove the lice and nits.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 62/205,932, filed Aug. 17, 2015, which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The teachings relate to a composition and method for treatment of headlice, and more particularly to a composition and method that kills lice,breaks the bond between nits and a hair shaft, and provides easierremoval of the lice and nits from the hair.

BACKGROUND

Head lice are parasitic insects that infest a person's head and neck,and the lice feed off of the scalp by drawing small amounts of blood.Each louse can lay about 7 to 10 eggs, also known as nits, every 7 to 10days on a human scalp, thereby allowing the lice to multiply relativelyrapidly. Prior to the nits hatching, there is a strong glue-like bondformed between the shaft of the hair and the egg, which makes it verydifficult to separate the nit from the hair and remove the nits.

The presence of head lice often causes discomfort to the host person, asthe scalp can become itchy and irritated. Scratching the scalp in anattempt to alleviate the discomfort can then lead to sores, open wounds,scabs, or even infection. Head lice infestations, also known aspediculosis, can quickly spread from one person to another, mostcommonly by close person-to-person contact, which makes lice (and nits)a large concern within classrooms, childcare centers, camps, families,or other situations where people may be in close quarters or may sharegrooming items, such as hair brushes.

It is estimated that between six and 12 million children in the UnitedStates alone become infested with head lice each year. Consumers, suchas concerned and frustrated parents, are often seeking simplified andimproved means getting rid of the head lice. Known methods of treatmentof the lice-infested hair include using gels, shampoos, conditioners, orother compositions. Many traditional methods include long wait timesbefore the composition can be washed away or removed from the hair,additional scalp irritation, requirements of multiple treatments overseveral days or weeks, or difficulty in combing out the lice and eggs(e.g., if the treatment is too viscous for a comb to pass through, or ifthe treatment causes the hair to become tangled).

Some strains of lice are progressively becoming resistant to the activeingredients used in traditional lice treatments, thereby necessitatingnew treatment methods. Some existing treatment methods may only bepartially effective, such as by killing lice but having no impact on thenits or the ability to remove the nits from the hair. Therefore,multiple products are needed, leading to additional toxicity. The needfor multiple products and/or steps also contributes to lice becomingresistant to the active ingredients, in large part because the productsare often not applied properly and/or all lice and nits are not removed.In addition, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of theproducts they are using on themselves and their families, so a simplercomposition that is still effective without a long ingredient list ofchemicals is desired.

Therefore, there remains a need for a composition and method for theeffective treatment of head lice, while reducing treatment times, easingor simplifying treatment (e.g., by reducing the number of productsneeded or the steps performed), easing removal of the lice and nits,and/or allowing a comb to easily run through the hair being treated.

SUMMARY

The present teachings overcome one or more of the above needs byproviding an effective composition and method for treating lice andremoving nits from the hair. The present teachings provide a singleproduct treatment that allows for the lice and nits to be removed fromthe hair. The ability to remove all lice and nits helps to slow thespread of drug-resistant lice and nits, since lice and nits need a humanhost to survive. If all of the lice and nits are removed, the spread ofdrug-resistant lice will be reduced, as the lice and nits die beforebeing spread to other (or additional) human hosts.

The composition for the treatment of lice may include an alcohol oralcohol-based product. The alcohol or alcohol-based product may includea single hydroxyl (e.g., may be a primary alcohol such as a C2-C8alcohol such as propanol, methanol, or isopropanol). The alcohol oralcohol-based product may include benzyl alcohol, for example. Thealcohol or alcohol-based product may be present in an amount of about 20wt % or less, about 10 wt % or less, or about 5 wt % or less (e.g.,about 3 wt % to about 5 wt %). The composition may include one or moresalts, such as one or more inorganic salts. For example, the inorganicsalt may be an alkali metal halide salt, potassium iodide, potassiumchloride, or sodium chloride (e.g., USP grade sodium chloride, koshersalt, sea salt, or table salt). The inorganic salt may be present in anamount of about 1 wt % or greater, about 2 wt % or greater, or about 3wt % or greater. The inorganic salt may be present in an amount of about20 wt % or less, about 10 wt % or less, or about 9 wt % or less. Forexample, the inorganic salt may be present in an amount of about 2 wt %to about 8 wt % or about 3 wt % to about 5 wt %. The composition mayinclude one or more essential oils, other plant products or derivativessuch as plant essences, or both. The one or more essential oils or otherplant products may include peppermint oil, anise oil, aloe vera oil, ora combination thereof. The composition may include a surfactant. Thesurfactant may reduce separation of the elements of the composition andincrease the appearance of homogeneity. The surfactant may be nonionic.The surfactant may be a poloxamer, such as poloxamer 407. The surfactantmay be present in an amount of about 5 wt % or less, or preferably about1 wt % or less. The composition may be water-based (e.g., with about 50wt % or more being water). The water may be purified water. Thecomposition is preferably of a sufficient viscosity that is it able tobe sprayed (e.g., via a hand-pumping or hand-spraying device duringapplication to a person's hair, head, scalp, and/or neck).

An exemplary composition may comprise an alcohol, an inorganic salt, oneor more essential oils, a surfactant, and the remainder being water. Forexample, the composition may comprise an alcohol in an amount of about 3wt % to about 5 wt %; a salt in an amount of about 3 wt % to about 5 wt%; peppermint oil in an amount of about 3 wt % or less; a poloxamer inan amount of about 1 wt % or less; and the remainder being purifiedwater. The composition may further include a plant derivative or plantessence, such as aloe vera oil. For example, the aloe vera oil may bepresent in an amount of about 7 wt % or less.

The present teachings further contemplate methods of stunning and/orkilling lice, causing detachment of nits from the hair, removing thelice and/or nits from the hair, or a combination thereof. The method oftreating lice and nits may include forming the composition as describedherein. The composition may be adapted to be applied to human hairand/or the scalp (e.g., by spraying the composition onto the hair andscalp). The composition may be adapted to stun and/or kill lice withinminutes (e.g., about 20 minutes or less, about 10 minutes or less, about5 minutes or less, or even about 2 minutes or less) of contact betweenthe composition and the lice. The composition may be adapted to weakenor break the glue-like bond between nits and the human hair so that thenits can be removed from the hair (e.g., by using a comb). The methodmay be performed by applying the composition as described herein to thehair, scalp, and/or neck (e.g., by spraying). The composition, whencoming in contact with the lice, may kill the lice, thereby allowingthem to be removed from the hair and preventing them from layingadditional eggs. The composition, when coming in contact in with lice,may stun the lice (e.g., prior to killing the lice), thereby allowingthe lice to be removed from the hair. As lice need a human host tosurvive, being removed from the head will also contribute to the deathof the lice so they cannot spread to additional people. The composition,when coming into contact with the nits attached to the hair, may causethe bond between the nits and the hair to loosen, dissolve, or break,thereby allowing the nits to be removed from the hair and preventingthem from hatching, as the nits require proximity to the scalp forincubation. The method may further include combing out the lice andnits, such as by using a fine-toothed metal lice comb. Prior to applyingthe composition, the composition may be shaken or otherwise agitated todistribute any or all ingredients of the composition.

The present teachings also include the method of forming thecomposition. The method may include adding an alcohol and an inorganicsalt to purified water. The adding step may include adding one or moreessential oils and/or plant essences to the purified water. The methodmay include dissolving a surfactant in the water (e.g., purified water).The dissolving step may be performed prior to the adding step. Thedissolving step may include refrigerating the surfactant and the water(e.g., purified water). The refrigeration may be performed for about 3hours or more. The temperature of refrigeration may be between about 1°C. and about 10° C., for example. The method may include adding thealcohol, inorganic salt, the one or more essential oils and/or plantessences, or any combination thereof, to the surfactant dissolved in thepurified water. The composition may be agitated for about 5 minutes ormore (e.g., to distribute the ingredients within the compositiongenerally evenly).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, the teachings herein contemplate a composition and method oftreating head lice (e.g., by killing the lice and/or allowing the nitsto be removed from the hair). The teachings herein contemplate asimplified method of treating lice by providing a user with the abilityto kill lice and remove nits from the hair with a single composition.The teachings herein may ease the removal of lice and/or nits from thehair, thereby reducing or preventing the spread of lice, especiallydrug- or active ingredient-resistant lice, which are becoming anincreasing problem.

The composition preferably includes an alcohol or alcohol-based product,an inorganic salt, and water. The composition may also include additivessuch as one or more essential oils or other plant-derived products(e.g., plant essences), a surfactant to keep the ingredients in thecomposition in suspension, or combination thereof. It is furthercontemplated that the composition as described herein is adapted to killhead lice, break the glue-like bond between a nit (louse egg) and theshaft of hair, or both. It is further contemplated that the compositionis of a viscosity that allows the composition to be sprayed onto thescalp and hair. The composition may be a liquid solution. For example,the viscosity of the composition may be about 100 cps or less, about 80cps or less, about 60 cps or less, or even about 40 cps or less, thoughother higher viscosities are possible. The viscosity may be measured atroom temperature (e.g., about 20° C. to about 26° C.). The method ofspraying may, for example, be performed using a hand or finger actuatedsprayer (e.g., a trigger-type spray nozzle, a perfume atomizer-typenozzle, a spray mist bottle, or the like). The composition may besubstantially free of any gel (e.g., about 5% or less by weight orvolume). The composition may be entirely free of any gel.

The composition preferably includes an alcohol or alcohol-based product.The alcohol may function to kill, or assist in killing, the head lice.The alcohol or alcohol-based product may stun or slow the lice (e.g.,prior to killing the lice), allowing the lice to be removed from thehair (e.g., by using a comb). Alcohol may help to dissolve otheradditives, such as essential oils, in the formulation (e.g., awater-based formulation) to create a generally homogeneous mixture.Preferably, the alcohol is present in the composition in an amount thatis sufficient to kill the lice, yet cause minimal discomfort, such as aburning sensation to the scalp, to the person upon whom the compositionis being applied. The alcohol may be present in an amount of about 20 wt% or less, or about 10 wt % or less. The alcohol may be present in anamount of about 1 wt % or greater, or about 2 wt % or greater. Forexample, the alcohol may be present in an amount of about 3 wt % toabout 5 wt %. The alcohol or alcohol-based product may be a primaryalcohol (e.g., a C2-C8 alcohol, such as methanol, propanol, orisopropanol). The alcohol or alcohol-based product may be an alcoholhaving a single hydroxyl group. The alcohol or alcohol-based product mayinclude methyl, ethyl, benzyl alcohol, or pure alcohol, for example. Forexample, benzyl alcohol (e.g., under the trade name Ulesfia®, byConcordia Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Bridgetown, Barbados) may be used toeffectively kill lice upon application to human hair, scalp, and neck.The alcohol or alcohol-based product may have a molecular weight ofabout 20 g/mol or greater, about 45 g/mol or greater, about 70 g/mol orgreater, or about 95 g/mol or greater. The alcohol or alcohol-basedproduct may have a molecular weight of about 200 g/mol or less, about175 g/mol or less, about 150 g/mol or less, about 125 g/mol or less, orabout 100 g/mol or less. For example, the alcohol or alcohol-basedproduct may have a molecular weight between about 95 g/mol and about 125g/mol.

The composition preferably includes a salt, and more preferably aninorganic salt. The salt may function to break the bond between the nitsand the hair (e.g., by loosening, drying out, or dissolving theglue-like substance by which the egg is attached to the human hair).Nits cannot live or hatch without a human host, and nits require warmthof the person's scalp for incubation before they can hatch. Nitsdislodged from a hair shaft most likely die before they hatch, so it isdesirable to remove the nits as quickly as possible to avoid hatching.The salt may assist in killing or at least stunning the lice. The use ofsalt may allow for easier combing of the hair, thereby allowing forefficient combing out of nits, reducing treatment time, or both. Thesalt may be present in the composition in an amount of about 1 wt % orgreater, about 2 wt % or greater, or about 3 wt % or greater. The saltmay be present in an amount of about 20 wt % or less, about 10 wt % orless, or about 9 wt % or less. For example, the salt may be present inan amount between about 1 wt % and about 20 wt %, between about 2 wt %and about 8 wt %, or even between about 3 wt % and about 5 wt %. Theamount of optional surfactant added to the composition may depend uponthe amount of salt within the composition. For example, use of loweramounts of salt (e.g., less than about 10 wt %, such as between about 3wt % and about 5 wt %) may allow for use of less surfactant, as there isless salt to keep in suspension. It may be difficult or more cumbersometo mix higher amounts of salt in solution; therefore, it may bepreferred to use lower amounts of salt (e.g., below about 10 wt %, suchas between about 3 wt % and about 5 wt %). The salt in the compositionmay be an alkali metal salt, such as sodium chloride, potassiumchloride, potassium iodide, for example, though other salts arepossible. The salt may be sea salt, table salt, kosher salt, or USPgrade sodium chloride. The amount of salt in the composition may dependupon the type of salt used. For example, USP sodium chloride, whichmeets United States Pharmacopeia standards, may be effective in smalleramounts, such as between about 3 wt % and about 5 wt %, though greateramounts may also be effective. USP sodium chloride may have improvedsolubility (e.g., as compared to other salts such as table salt). Tablesalt, sea salt, or kosher salt, for example may be used instead of, orin addition to, USP sodium chloride.

The composition may include one or more essential oils or plant products(e.g., plant derivatives, plant essences). These essential oils or plantproducts may function to reduce the amount of irritation (e.g., from thealcohol and/or salt, from the lice, or combination thereof) to theperson's scalp, soothe the person's scalp, or both. The oils or essencesmay provide fragrance to the composition. The oils or essences mayfunction to provide an antiseptic effect upon the scalp, such as toreduce the possibility of infection (e.g., from sores due to excessivescratching of the scalp, an allergic response to louse saliva that issecreted as the lice feed, or both). The oils or essences may functionto provide a moisturizing effect on the hair and/or scalp or a smoothingor lubricating effect on the hair (e.g., to ease combing of the hair).The oils or essences may affect the lice, such as by killing the lice,suffocating the lice, or stunning the lice. The oils or essences mayhelp to break down the glue-like bond between the nits and the hairshaft.

Examples of essential oils or plant products or essences that may beused include, but are not limited to, oils such as tea tree, rosemary,peppermint, aloe vera, anise, lavender, ylang-ylang, birch, davana,eucalyptus, moringa, parsley, wintergreen, spearmint, or a combinationthereof. The essential oils, plant essences, or other plant products,alone or in combination, may be present in an about of about 0.1 wt % ormore, about 0.5 wt % or more, or about 1 wt % or more. The essentialoils, plant essences, or other plant products, may be present in anamount of about 15 wt % or less, about 10 wt % or less, or even about 5wt % or less. The composition may include peppermint oil, for example.Peppermint oil may be present in the composition in an amount of about0.1 wt % or greater, about 0.5 wt % or greater, or even about 1 wt % orgreater. Peppermint oil may be present in the composition in an amountof about 5 wt % or less, about 3 wt % or less, or even about 2 wt % orless. Aloe vera oil may be present in the composition, alone or inaddition to any other essential oils or plant essences (e.g., withpeppermint oil or with anise oil). The aloe vera oil may be present inthe composition in an amount of about 0.1 wt % or greater, about 0.5 wt% or greater, or even about 1 wt % or greater. The aloe vera oil may bepresent in an about of about 10 wt % or less, about 8 wt % or less, oreven about 7 wt % or less. As mentioned, essential oils such as aniseoil may be added to the composition, alone or in combination with oilssuch as peppermint oil or aloe vera oil.

The composition for treating head lice is preferably water-based. Thewater base may allow for the composition to be of a viscosity thatallows the composition to be sprayed onto the scalp (e.g., via a spraybottle having a trigger nozzle, atomizing nozzle, or other type ofnozzle). The water base may allow for the ingredients of the compositionto be easily mixed, dissolved, or both. The water base may allow foreasier removal from the hair or easier cleaning of the hair after thetreatment has been concluded. This may be advantageous over traditionalproducts, such as oil-based products which often require harshdetergents to remove the composition itself from the hairpost-treatment. The water may be purified water (e.g., purified by aprocess such as distillation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, or carbonfiltration), spring water, mineral water, or another type of water. Thecomposition may comprise any or all of the ingredients discussed herein,with the remainder being water. The water may be present in thecomposition in an amount of about 50 wt % or greater, about 70 wt % orgreater, or even about 85 wt % or greater.

The composition may optionally include a surfactant. The surfactant mayfunction to keep the oils and salt in suspension. The surfactant mayhelp to give the composition a homogeneous appearance so separation intolayers of oil, water, and salt are not immediately noticeable to the eye(e.g., after agitating the composition, such as by shaking). Thesurfactant may help the salt and oil stay in suspension for about 5minutes or more (e.g., about 30 minutes) after shaking or otherwiseagitating the composition. Maintaining even distribution of theingredients within the composition for a period of time may bebeneficial so that the composition does not have to be continuouslyshaken during application of the composition to a person's hair, scalp,or neck. The surfactant may help to apply the composition generallyevenly. For example, a generally homogeneous composition may help toensure that the same amount of each ingredient is applied with eachspray of the composition onto the person's hair, scalp, and neck toeffectively kill the lice and/or break the bond between the nit and thehair. The surfactant may dissolve oily ingredients in the water base ofthe composition. As noted, the amount of surfactant within thecomposition may depend upon the amount of salt added to the composition.The surfactant may be present in an amount of about 0.1 wt % or greater,about 0.5 wt % or greater, or even about 1 wt % or greater. Thesurfactant may be present in an amount of about 5 wt % or less, about 3wt % or less, or even about 2 wt % or less. The surfactant may benonionic. The surfactant may be a poloxamer, such as poloxamer 407.

An exemplary composition includes an alcohol, an inorganic salt, one ormore essential oils, a surfactant, and the remainder being water. Forexample, the composition includes an inorganic salt in an amount ofabout 3 wt % or more; an alcohol in an amount between about 3 wt % andabout 5 wt %; an essential oil or other plant product or essence in anamount about 1 wt % or greater; a surfactant in an amount about 1 wt %or greater; and the remainder being purified water. The composition, forexample, may have a ratio of alcohol to salt of about 3:1, about 2:1,about 1:1, about 1:2, or about 1:3.

The following compositions are given as illustrative examples and arenot intended to limit the scope of the teachings herein. It should beunderstood that the amounts and ingredients within the examples are notthe only amounts and ingredients envisioned by the present teachings.The present teachings contemplate any combination of the ingredients andranges of amounts as disclosed herein. The values presented in theillustrative examples are in wt %. The following compositions may beapplied to a scalp and hair, and then the hair can be combed (e.g.,using a metal lice comb having fine-toothed bristles) to remove lice andnits, as well as kill the lice. The amounts of the ingredients are inparts by weight. The compositions may, for example, be packaged into 6fluid ounce units for use in treating the scalp. One treatment may useabout 2 fluid ounces to about 3 fluid ounces, though treatment amountsmay vary based upon the length and thickness of the hair being treated.

Ingredient Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6Example 7 Sodium 4 4 4 4 4 4 chloride (USP) Sodium 9 chloride (tablesalt) Benzyl 3 4 3 3 4 3 Alcohol Ethyl 3 alcohol Peppermint 1 1 1 2 1 1oil Anise oil 1 Aloe vera 6 1 oil Poloxamer 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 407 Purified91  90  82  85  89  91  90  water

It is contemplated that other additives may be present in thecomposition. Preferably, the additives have little or no impact, or donot have a negative impact, on the efficacy of the composition inkilling lice and/or removing nits from the human hair. For example,additives may include dyes (e.g., to provide an aesthetic appearance tothe composition in the bottle, without causing discoloration of the hairupon application).

The ingredients as disclosed herein may be mixed together to form thecomposition. For example, a surfactant (e.g., poloxamer) may first bedissolved into water (e.g., purified water). A poloxamer may bethermo-reversible, thereby dissolving under conditions that are colderthan ambient temperature. The poloxamer and water may be refrigerated(or otherwise chilled) to cause the poloxamer to dissolve in water. Thepoloxamer in water may be exposed to temperatures of about 1° C. orhigher, about 1.3° C. or higher, or even about 1.6° C. or higher. Thepoloxamer in water may be exposed to temperatures of about 10° C. orless, about 7° C. or less, or even about 5° C. or less. The poloxamer inwater may be kept in cooler conditions (e.g., refrigeration) for about 1hour or more, about 3 hours or more, or even about 6 hours or more(e.g., overnight). The other ingredients, such as salt (e.g., sodiumchloride), alcohol (e.g., benzyl alcohol), and essential oils and plantessences (e.g., peppermint oil, aloe vera oil, anise oil, or acombination thereof) may be added to the poloxamer and water mixture.Upon adding one or more of the ingredients, the composition may beagitated to disperse the ingredients. Preferably, the composition isagitated for about 2 minutes or more, about 5 minutes or more, or evenabout 10 minutes or more. The composition may be poured into bottles(e.g., spray bottles). During the filling of the bottles, thecomposition may be agitated (e.g., about every 15 minutes or less, aboutevery 10 minutes or less, or even about every 5 minutes or less) to helpdistribute the ingredients evenly in the composition and to help ensurethat all bottles of the composition have generally the same amounts ofingredients in each bottle (e.g., within about +/−1%). The filledbottles may be stored at a temperature of about 15° C. to about 30° C.prior to application onto a person's scalp and/or hair.

The present teachings also contemplate a method of killing the lice,separating the nits from the hair (e.g., by loosening the glue-like bondbetween the nit and the hair, or by breaking the bond). The method ofkilling the lice includes using the composition as described herein. Theingredients of the composition may perform different functions intreating lice. For example, the salt may break or loosen the glue-likebond between the nits and the hair. The alcohol may function to kill thelice. The composition may be applied to the hair, scalp and/or neck of ahost person carrying lice and/or nits. Prior to application, it may benecessary to shake the composition or otherwise agitate the compositionto distribute the salt, alcohol, oils and any other additives evenly, orgenerally evenly. The composition may be adapted to be applied byspraying from a bottle or other container holding the composition. Forexample, when applying, the nozzle may be positioned about 6 inches orless from the scalp (e.g., about 4 inches) and sprayed to saturate theentire scalp and hair. Because lice and nits work close to the scalp, itmay be important to completely cover the scalp with the composition, asthe lice and nits may need to be contacted by the composition to beeffective. To ensure the entire scalp and hair is covered, it may bebeneficial to spray the head in sections (e.g., by lifting top sectionsto spray lower sections or sections near the nape of the neck).Preferably, application is performed on dry hair. About 2 fluid ouncesor more may be used to saturate the hair and scalp during each treatmentsession (e.g., about 2 fluid ounces to about 3 fluid ounces), thoughmore may be needed for longer hair, thicker hair, or both.

The method may further include combing out the lice and nits. As thecomposition begins to kill lice on contact, the lice may be dead priorto the combing step. The combing step is preferably performed using acomb, such as a fine-toothed metal lice comb, while the hair (or thatparticular section of hair) is saturated with the composition. To removethe nits and lice from the comb, the comb may be wiped off between eachpass through the hair (e.g., wiping on a wet paper towel, towel, orother material capable of wiping off the comb). The combing step may beperformed immediately upon saturation of the hair and scalp with thecomposition. Therefore, it may not be necessary (though not harmful) tolet the composition sit on the hair for any length of time prior tocombing, unlike other traditional methods. Live lice are stunned orkilled in about 20 minutes or less, about 10 minutes or less, about 5minutes or less, or even about 2 minutes or less after contact with thecomposition. After the application of the composition, it iscontemplated that the lice can be removed immediately once the combingstep begins. The combing step (e.g., combing the entire head and scalp)may take about 120 minutes or less, or even about 60 minutes or less(e.g., about 45 minutes), depending upon the length and thickness of thehair.

While the discussion of the present teachings discuss a composition ofsufficient viscosity that it can be applied as a spray, it is alsocontemplated that the composition may be in alternate forms, such asgels, creams, shampoos, conditioners, serums, and the like. Thesealternate forms may have a different base substance (e.g., rather than awater base). One or more essential oils or other plant products may thenbe added to the base (e.g., tea tree, rosemary, peppermint). The basemay serve to suffocate the lice, thereby killing the lice. The nits maybe combed out using a metal lice comb.

It is understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments as well as manyapplications besides the examples provided will be apparent to those ofskill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of theteachings should, therefore, be determined not with reference to theabove description, but should instead be determined with reference tothe appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to whichsuch claims are entitled. The disclosures of all articles andreferences, including patent applications and publications, areincorporated by reference for all purposes. The omission in thefollowing claims of any aspect of subject matter that is disclosedherein is not a disclaimer of such subject matter, nor should it beregarded that the inventors did not consider such subject matter to bepart of the disclosed inventive subject matter.

Any numerical values recited herein include all values from the lowervalue to the upper value in increments of one unit provided that thereis a separation of at least 2 units between any lower value and anyhigher value. As an example, if it is stated that the amount of acomponent or a value of a process variable such as, for example,temperature, pressure, time and the like is, for example, from 1 to 90,preferably from 20 to 80, more preferably from 30 to 70, it is intendedthat values such as 15 to 85, 22 to 68, 43 to 51, 30 to 32 etc. areexpressly enumerated in this specification. For values which are lessthan one, one unit is considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01 or 0.1 asappropriate. These are only examples of what is specifically intendedand all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowestvalue and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to beexpressly stated in this application in a similar manner. As can beseen, the teaching of amounts expressed as “parts by weight” herein alsocontemplates the same ranges expressed in terms of percent by weight.Thus, an expression in the Detailed Description of the Invention of arange in terms of at “‘x’ parts by weight of the resulting composition”also contemplates a teaching of ranges of same recited amount of “x” inpercent by weight of the resulting composition.”

Unless otherwise stated, all ranges include both endpoints and allnumbers between the endpoints. The use of “about” or “approximately” inconnection with a range applies to both ends of the range. Thus, “about20 to 30” is intended to cover “about 20 to about 30”, inclusive of atleast the specified endpoints.

The disclosures of all articles and references, including patentapplications and publications, are incorporated by reference for allpurposes. The term “consisting essentially of” to describe a combinationshall include the elements, ingredients, components or steps identified,and such other elements ingredients, components or steps that do notmaterially affect the basic and novel characteristics of thecombination. The use of the terms “comprising” or “including” todescribe combinations of elements, ingredients, components or stepsherein also contemplates embodiments that consist essentially of theelements, ingredients, components or steps. By use of the term “may”herein, it is intended that any described attributes that “may” beincluded are optional.

Plural elements, ingredients, components or steps can be provided by asingle integrated element, ingredient, component or step. Alternatively,a single integrated element, ingredient, component or step might bedivided into separate plural elements, ingredients, components or steps.The disclosure of “a” or “one” to describe an element, ingredient,component or step is not intended to foreclose additional elements,ingredients, components or steps. All references herein to elements ormetals belonging to a certain Group refer to the Periodic Table of theElements published and copyrighted by CRC Press, Inc., 1989. Anyreference to the Group or Groups shall be to the Group or Groups asreflected in this Periodic Table of the Elements using the IUPAC systemfor numbering groups.

It will be appreciated that concentrates or dilutions of the amountsrecited herein may be employed. In general, the relative proportions ofthe ingredients recited will remain the same. Thus, by way of example,if the teachings call for 30 parts by weight of a Component A, and 10parts by weight of a Component B, the skilled artisan will recognizethat such teachings also constitute a teaching of the use of Component Aand Component B in a relative ratio of 3:1. Teachings of concentrationsin the examples may be varied within about 25% (or higher) of the statedvalues and similar results are expected. Moreover, such compositions ofthe examples may be employed successfully in the present methods.Alternate expressions of percent by weight (or wt %) also envision partsby weight. Expressions of parts by weight also envision percent byweight (or wt %), for example.

It will be appreciated that the above is by way of illustration only.Other ingredients may be employed in any of the compositions disclosedherein, as desired, to achieve the desired resulting characteristics.Examples of other ingredients that may be employed include antibiotics,anesthetics, antihistamines, preservatives, surfactants, antioxidants,unconjugated bile acids, mold inhibitors, nucleic acids, pH adjusters,osmolarity adjusters, or any combination thereof.

1. A composition for treatment of lice and nits comprising: a. analcohol; b. an inorganic salt in an amount less than 10 wt %; c. one ormore essential oils and/or plant essences; and d. purified water presentin an amount of about 50 wt % or greater; wherein the composition isadapted to weaken or break a glue-like bond between nits and human hairso that the nits can be removed from the hair.
 2. The composition ofclaim 1, wherein the composition includes a surfactant adapted to reduceseparation of the ingredients of the composition and increase appearanceof homogeneity.
 3. The composition of claim 2, wherein the surfactant isa poloxamer.
 4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the alcohol is aprimary alcohol, benzyl alcohol, or a combination thereof.
 5. Thecomposition of claim 1, wherein the inorganic salt is sodium chloride.6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the one or more essential oilsand/or plant essences include peppermint oil in an amount of about 1 wt% or greater.
 7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the compositionincludes a plant essence, and wherein the plant essence is aloe veraoil.
 8. The composition of claim 1, wherein the alcohol is present in anamount of about 3 wt % to about 5 wt %.
 9. The composition of claim 1,wherein the inorganic salt is present in an amount of about 3 wt % orgreater.
 10. The composition of claim 10, wherein the inorganic salt ispresent in an amount of about 3 wt % to about 5 wt %.
 11. Thecomposition of claim 1, wherein the composition has sufficient viscositythat it is a liquid solution that is able to be sprayed via a spraynozzle.
 12. The composition of claim 1, wherein the compositioncomprises: a. the alcohol in an amount of about 3 wt % to about 5 wt %;b. the inorganic salt in an amount of about 3 wt % to about 5 wt %; c.peppermint oil in an amount of greater than 0 wt % and about 3 wt % orless; d. a poloxamer in an amount of greater than 0 wt % and about 1 wt% or less; and e. purified water.
 13. The composition of claim 12,comprising aloe vera oil in an amount of about 7 wt % or less.
 14. Thecomposition of claim 12, wherein the alcohol is a primary alcohol,benzyl alcohol, or a combination thereof, and wherein the inorganic saltis sodium chloride. 15-20. (canceled)
 21. The composition of claim 11,wherein the composition has a viscosity of about 100 cps or less at roomtemperature.
 22. The composition of claim 12, wherein the compositioncomprises: a. benzyl alcohol in an amount of about 3 wt % to about 5 wt%; b. sodium chloride in an amount of about 3 wt % to about 5 wt %; c.peppermint oil in an amount of greater than 0 wt % up to about 3 wt %;d. a poloxamer in an amount of greater than 0 wt % up to about 1 wt %;and e. purified water.
 23. The composition of claim 22, wherein thecomposition consists essentially of: a. benzyl alcohol in an amount ofabout 3 wt % to about 5 wt %; b. sodium chloride in an amount of about 3wt % to about 5 wt %; c. peppermint oil in an amount of greater than 0wt % up to about 3 wt %; d. a poloxamer in an amount of greater than 0wt % up to about 1 wt %; and e. purified water.
 24. The composition ofclaim 23, wherein the composition is adapted to be applied to dry humanhair without lathering.
 25. The composition of claim 1, wherein thecomposition is adapted to be applied to dry human hair withoutlathering.
 26. The composition of claim 1, wherein the compositioncannot be worked into a lather.